A recording by Astor Piazzolla “the single most important figure in the history of tango” will be the first MQA recording to be released on compact disc in Japan. The album is “A. Piazzolla by Strings and Oboe”, recorded by the UNAMAS Piazzolla Septet and mastered by respected producer and mastering engineer Mick Sawaguchi.More »

Now, here’s a test. Who here can remember the Samsung Foldiplay from 2013? Well, It’s folding smartphone rumour time again!

Granted, this fold-up tech could well be the biggest mobile technology breakthrough since the invention of the touchscreen but we have already seen Samsung and LG come up with concepts only to be thwarted when it comes to the flexibility of other smartphone components, as well as the durability of the stretchy ensemble.

OPPO may have recently joined the ranks of Android device manufacturers cooking up bendy handhelds but I reckon it’s a safer bet that Samsung’s Youm concept, now codenamed Project Valley, will hit the shelves first.

LG’s phone has bolt-on bits, Huawei has loaded theirs with 3 camera sensors so where else is there to go? How about night vision? That’s the route taken by the Lumigon T3.

GadgetyNews has been keeping an eye on Lumigon through their goods. The T1 had remote control skills, and the T2 had B&O audio. Now the Scandinavian design house has given its newly revealed T3 night vision.

Before you start thinking that this might just be clever software or filter, the T3 has an actual, honest to goodness night vision camera sensor. This thing can really see in the dark.

The Huawei P9 was launched almost three weeks ago and GadgetyNews was there. Since then, I have been living with the phone that packs Leica camera smarts and no fewer than three snapper sensors – one up front and two around back.

Huawei is still trying to win over the Samsung and Apple returning customers. It’s not like they’re unheard of either. Google for one used Huawei to design and build their Nexus 6P, which is an amazing mobile.

With all the chat about the P9’s photographic credentials, has Huawei got it all wrapped up with their latest flagship phone?

Chinese manufacturer Cubot Mobile has been working on expanding their empire and, to this end, they have been making their devices available around the world via their website plus other distributors such as the ubiquitous Amazon.

The X17 is very much a mid-range smartphone with an eclectic mix of features and specification all offered for a low end price tag.

It seems that Samsung wants to keep its Note fans guessing as there hasn’t really been a fix release period for the Note range when you think about it. The Note 5 appeared in mid-August 2015, the Note 4 before it in September 2014, the Note 3 exactly a year earlier.

Huawei and Leica have just this moment announced the start of a strategic partnership, “a co-operation with shared premium ambitions and spirit”, which will see both technology and photography brands combining their shared ethos to “reinvent” smartphone photography.

Huawei has certainly come a long way since becoming recognised as the world’s third-largest smartphone manufacturer in 2012.

Cubot X17 might not be the first smartphone name to spring to mind but Chinese manufacturer Cubot Mobile has been working on getting their products out globally. To this end, they are now selling their smartphones through Amazon.co.uk at a very tempting price point.

Cubot is joining the current Chinese invasion of the UK smartphone market with a very similar business model of offering plenty of pow for your pound (first thing that came to mind to equate to the ‘bang for your buck’ Americanism).

Windows Phone looked to be a contender in the arena, taking on Android and iOS when it bounced on to the scene five years ago. Things have changed for the big M, and not for the better.

Microsoft brought in its range of Windows Phone 7 handsets as a true alternative to Apple and Android and I have a few friends that bought in to it and really enjoyed their handsets and how they seamlessly integrated with their PCs. But, alas, it is time for Microsoft to admit that this was an experiment that failed.

Apple could be considering making a flexible OLED iPhone but this comes with a caveat.

This might come as a shock to some but Apple is not the biggest risk taker out there. Now, before I start getting hate mail from Apple fans stating “iPhone was a risk – first touchscreen phone!” that accolade belongs to the IBM Simon. Don’t even mention the iPad.

The Oppo F1 smartphone was brought to a gathering of Oppo fans aboard a boat on the Thames. Whilst the F Series phones are aimed at the mid-range market, this new smartphone may well have ideas above its station, but manages to keep the price remarkably affordable.

Oppo has created quite a name for itself amongst the smartphone community for not only being able to release decent hardware at a very reasonable price point but for producing some great camera phones.

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